Dr. James Albert jabs the exposed end of a length of coated wire into the water of a small aquarium, home of a tiny electric eel the size of pocket comb.

The associate professor of biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette waves the metal prongs around like a wand, sending electrical impulses into a black box at the other end of the wire. The electronic box crackles like an old transistor radio searching for a signal. The popping sounds grow louder as his hand nears the eel, which emits an electric current it uses to stun prey, defend itself, navigate and communicate.

NIRC Makes Improvements for Animal Welfare

The New Iberia Research Center has agreed to a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture stemming from the deaths of three Rhesus macaques in May 2011 and an injury sustained by a chimpanzee last year.

“Our primary concern is always the safety and welfare of the primates in our care. We regret these incidents and have made changes intended to reduce the chances of reoccurrences,” said Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, interim vice president for Research at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are studying the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. One team of scientists will examine how razor clams and ghost shrimp affect the way oil is distributed and ultimately broken down by bacteria along the coast. The other will try to to uncover the possible impact of the spill on blue crabs by looking at their genes.

A UL Lafayette professor has a warning for millions of people in South Asia: climate changes pose a dire threat.

“Our coping mechanism/resources are very limited and are dwindling, the level of public awareness is very low, and the national, regional and local adaptation strategies and programs are insufficient and lack scientific rigors,” said Dr. Durga Poudel, a professor in UL Lafayette’s newly established School of Geosciences. An expert on climatic patterns of South Asia, he was quoted in an article recently posted on the Internet by Eurasia Review.

La. Highway 1 threads its way through the coastal marsh toward the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the United States’ most valuable — and vulnerable —assets. Researchers at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette are working to help protect it.

The road is the only land route to Port Fourchon, which supports 16 percent of the nation’s energy production. It is also the sole evacuation route for about 35,000 people, including offshore workers and coastal residents.